"Designed a few decades before the fall of the Old Republic, the FA-4 pilot is not a typical astromech droid, but rather it is even able to pilot a ship autonomously; provided it has a little guidance. While the FA-4 fails most combat tests miserably, it is able to pilot any type of starship, from the smallest fighter to the largest capital ship, and follow the vessel's pre-programmed flight path until its destination is reached. The FA-4 can perform the basic functions of ship piloting, but is in no way as efficient as a seasoned pilot."

"The first model in the R-series of astromech droids was also the first droid to target capital ships. Previously, owners had claimed that their crew worked better than "just another droid," but many were pleasantly surprised by the R1 droid.To save on the already high R&D costs, the designers used the jet black body of discontinued Mark II labour drone models. The dense shielding on this body protects the droid from the highest levels of radiation and even pressure and temperature extremes, allowing the droid to operate under the most intense conditions."

"The R2 series is one of the greatest successes in the astromech field. Considered a significant upgrade from its predecessor, the R1, the R2-series has maintained its popularity since its release prior to the Clone Wars. Originally marketed with the colloquial slogan: "There is nothing that this little guy can't do!," early reviews of the R2's repair capabilities were favorable, which helped to drive boisterous sales. The droid's popularity only increased as it was later adapted for starfighter duties and demonstrated great increases in starfighter performance. Still as popular as ever, the R2 series has been modified and upgraded several times, maintaining its competitiveness in the crowded droid market."

"The R3 design was the first astromech produced specifically for one group, the Empire. It was the first astromech to be released after the R2 series. In the gap between the launches of the R2 and R3, droid manufacturers continued updating and developing new technologies. They added these into their popular R2 series, but the Empire wanted a droid all to its own. The R3 was the answer, as it was programmed with several naval tactics, adding to the crews' ability to command. It also was a capable repair droid servicing the massive Star Destroyers that the Empire so relied upon. Unlike the R2, this little droid comes armed with a scout blaster, allowing it to help defend against enemy boarding operations and even useful in the disciplining of officers."

"Following the major success of the R2 droid series, Industrial Automaton quickly dominated the droid market, introducing several new astromech droids. Having released the R3 with governments and military in mind, Industrial Automaton designers decided to create the R4 Series specifically for the largely untapped demographic of outer rim pilots. Designed to work in garages, repairing modified speeders and common civilian starcrafts, the R4-series has met with great success since its debut, becoming popular with a variety of organizations and consumers."

"R5 units were built to be cheaper than the previously more popular R-series droids. The initial assumption was that customers would prefer "cheap" over "well built". To achieve this reduction of cost, the astromech was redesigned using cheaper, bulkier parts in place of the more miniaturized versions. In many cases programming and items that were deemed superfluous were simply dropped from the unit. Unfortunately, patchwork programming and cheap parts has caused the R5 to be known as a droid plagued with a number of technical glitches and a less-than-stellar personality."

"A piloting droid made exclusively for the Starspeeder 3000 series, the RX is a capable droid programmed to follow very specific coordinates between landing pads stored in its memory. Over time, its programming has been improved and it is now able to pilot any fighter or freighter and can even engage other ships in combat long enough to get to safety. Equipped with an advanced diplomacy chip, it is able to converse pleasantly with passengers, and is quite a capable pilot able to avoid sudden dangers that may appear. Although rather antiquated, the series still draws its share of enthusiasts who find its programming especially useful since it can take control of the ship and continue piloting the ship until it reaches its destination even when the pilot has left the ship and entered another vessel docked within it."